Murray MiddletonHarvey A Victim Of His Own Hype
May 6th 2008 12:45
Following Fremantle's disasterous fadeout against Melbourne on Sunday their coach embarked on the talk show circuit. It was a brave move on Mark Harvey's behalf. His team - touted as a serious finals contender at the beginning of the season - has won only one match out of seven. Their season is almost over. The Dockers have the oldest list in the competition. They have too many talented players to intentionally bottom out. Trading the likes of Pavlich, McPharlin and Sandilands is not a viable option. The coach must now decide on the direction of the club. The first thing he must get right is his own approach.
It is rare for a coach to do the double on a Monday night; to be the guest on 'On The Couch' and 'Footy Classified'. In hindsight, it was a big mistake. Harvey gave cold interviews on both shows. There is nothing to gain for a coach when his team is in such a dire position. The only objective is to assure supporters that he is prepared to face the heat. Although Harvey achieved this, he did not respond well. Robert Walls and Mike Sheehan gave Harvey a cold reception. Clearly the two men are not prepared to go easy on a new coach. Nor should they. Sheehan is always quick to latch on to a coach who treats the media with disdain. Whatever one thinks of Sheehan's attitude, Harvey must learn to appease the lieks of Sheehan and Walls.
Harvey has been an assistant coach for almost ten years. This should have provided him with a firsthand view of the pressure that can be placed on a head coach. During Monday's interviews he cited the scrutiny of coaching in a two-team town as one of the reasons that he has struggled to cope with the Perth media. Who is he kidding? Harvey worked at Essendon - one of the three biggest clubs in Melbourne. Essendon is a club who prides itself on success. Nothing short of success is tolerated. During his time as Sheedy's apprentice there were countless times when Sheedy was under the pump. The trick - as Sheedy demonstrated time after time - is for a coach to call upon his love of the game to alleviate tension.
Harvey is not a natural performer - that much is granted. But he must know his limitations. Not every coach can replicate Sheedy. There are several techniques available to Harvey. Paul Roos adopts a calm, frank and friendly personality in front of the cameras. Following Barry Hall's punch on Brent Staker, television viewers saw Roos engaged in a heated discussion with Hall in the change rooms at half time. Roos has never demonstrated such emotion in an interview. He masks his emotions and releases them behind closed doors. The technique has brought Roos much success in recent seasons. It has also helped him endure a tough start to 2008.
Mick Malthouse is a coach who treads a fine line with the media. However even he has enjoyed the odd lighter moment in recent years. When his side loses he often skilfully diverts the media's attention by highlighting an issue which distracts the media from his side's performance. Has anyone seen Harvey smile during a press conference? Regardless of what can be said about his predecesor - Chris Connolly - he was never short of a joke. It helps to relieve the tension, if only temporarily. It remains to be seen whether Harvey has a sense of humour.
Harvey was an assistant coach for too long. The reason he is quite an unpopular figure is because he is perceived to have knocked back too many opportunities to coach at senior level. Beggers cannot be choosers. For instance when the St. Kilda job became available at the end of 2006, why did Harvey not apply? He could have inherited a talented list that was capable of playing finals football immediately. Why would he knock back such an opportunity? Considering how long Harvey has waited, there is no excuse for him to put forth such a combative personality during televised interviews. It does not endear him to journalists, supporters and, worst of all, his own players.
Harvey was a tough footballer. Generally speaking, tough footballers make good coaches. Considering his propensity to shun the media, Harvey would be best to model his approach on that of John Worsfold. Worsfold is not a natural media performer. However he has never practised complete withdrawal. He projects an air of toughness and discipline; two of the qualities that made him a great leader on the field. Worsfold has been able to find the right balance between toughness and honesty when dealing with the media. His half-time interview last Friday night left viewers with no doubts about the way his team would play in the second half. Such an approach might be Harvey's only hope. Based on his performance so far, there will be many Bombers fans who are glad that his apprenticiship did not lead to the real job.
It is rare for a coach to do the double on a Monday night; to be the guest on 'On The Couch' and 'Footy Classified'. In hindsight, it was a big mistake. Harvey gave cold interviews on both shows. There is nothing to gain for a coach when his team is in such a dire position. The only objective is to assure supporters that he is prepared to face the heat. Although Harvey achieved this, he did not respond well. Robert Walls and Mike Sheehan gave Harvey a cold reception. Clearly the two men are not prepared to go easy on a new coach. Nor should they. Sheehan is always quick to latch on to a coach who treats the media with disdain. Whatever one thinks of Sheehan's attitude, Harvey must learn to appease the lieks of Sheehan and Walls.
Harvey has been an assistant coach for almost ten years. This should have provided him with a firsthand view of the pressure that can be placed on a head coach. During Monday's interviews he cited the scrutiny of coaching in a two-team town as one of the reasons that he has struggled to cope with the Perth media. Who is he kidding? Harvey worked at Essendon - one of the three biggest clubs in Melbourne. Essendon is a club who prides itself on success. Nothing short of success is tolerated. During his time as Sheedy's apprentice there were countless times when Sheedy was under the pump. The trick - as Sheedy demonstrated time after time - is for a coach to call upon his love of the game to alleviate tension.
Harvey is not a natural performer - that much is granted. But he must know his limitations. Not every coach can replicate Sheedy. There are several techniques available to Harvey. Paul Roos adopts a calm, frank and friendly personality in front of the cameras. Following Barry Hall's punch on Brent Staker, television viewers saw Roos engaged in a heated discussion with Hall in the change rooms at half time. Roos has never demonstrated such emotion in an interview. He masks his emotions and releases them behind closed doors. The technique has brought Roos much success in recent seasons. It has also helped him endure a tough start to 2008.
Mick Malthouse is a coach who treads a fine line with the media. However even he has enjoyed the odd lighter moment in recent years. When his side loses he often skilfully diverts the media's attention by highlighting an issue which distracts the media from his side's performance. Has anyone seen Harvey smile during a press conference? Regardless of what can be said about his predecesor - Chris Connolly - he was never short of a joke. It helps to relieve the tension, if only temporarily. It remains to be seen whether Harvey has a sense of humour.
Harvey was an assistant coach for too long. The reason he is quite an unpopular figure is because he is perceived to have knocked back too many opportunities to coach at senior level. Beggers cannot be choosers. For instance when the St. Kilda job became available at the end of 2006, why did Harvey not apply? He could have inherited a talented list that was capable of playing finals football immediately. Why would he knock back such an opportunity? Considering how long Harvey has waited, there is no excuse for him to put forth such a combative personality during televised interviews. It does not endear him to journalists, supporters and, worst of all, his own players.
Harvey was a tough footballer. Generally speaking, tough footballers make good coaches. Considering his propensity to shun the media, Harvey would be best to model his approach on that of John Worsfold. Worsfold is not a natural media performer. However he has never practised complete withdrawal. He projects an air of toughness and discipline; two of the qualities that made him a great leader on the field. Worsfold has been able to find the right balance between toughness and honesty when dealing with the media. His half-time interview last Friday night left viewers with no doubts about the way his team would play in the second half. Such an approach might be Harvey's only hope. Based on his performance so far, there will be many Bombers fans who are glad that his apprenticiship did not lead to the real job.
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Comment by Norm
Consumption Malfunction
Equal and Opposite
Arses and Elbows
Footy Power
Comment by J Gastev
My favourite coach is Dean Laidley because he takes pleasure in ruining journalists' lines of questioning. Robert Walls and Mike Sheehan: see a film tonight.